Paper Talk
Summer Liverpool target Keite Balde Diao has indicated he is now willing to leave Lazio.
Bolton are considering Phil Brown, Mixu Paatelainen and Tony Mowbray as their manager search continues.
Brendan Rodgers has warned Mario Balotelli: Park your ego or you're finished at Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest want to turn Jack Hunt's loan into a permanent transfer.
Barnsley are interested in taking Fulham striker Marcello Trotta on loan.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman slammed his own fans after they abused former boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Liverpool's Raheem Sterling will sign a new contract at Anfield, according to boss Brendan Rodgers.
Swansea boss Garry Monk reckons Gylfi Sigurdsson has returned from Spurs a better player.
Arsene Wenger has no regrets about shoving Jose Mourinho during Arsenal's defeat at Chelsea on Sunday.
Liverpool are keen on signing German goalkeeper Loris Karius, who is currently playing for Bundesliga side Mainz.
Leeds full-back Stephen Warnock has complained to the PFA after losing his place in the team. The 32-year-ols suspects owner Massimo Cellino is behind the decision.
Malky Mackay is on the shortlist to become Bolton's new manager.
Jordi Alba is being targeted by both Manchester City and Manchester United but Barcelona are unlikely to want to sell.
Manchester United are planning on bidding for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale after their prospects of re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo became increasingly unlikely.
Tottenham are keeping tabs on young Anderlecht winger Andy Najar and could make a bid in the region of £4million for the Honduran star.
Arsenal target Adrian Rabiot is now a target for Roma as well and the Paris Saint-Germain striker could be tempted with a move to Italy.
Arsene Wenger could look to strengthen his midfield by signing Sebastian Giovinco, whose Juventus deal expires in June.
Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal target Dani Alves is set to be offered a new contract at Barcelona.
Louis van Gaal believes Radamel Falcao's Manchester United career will take off after the striker claimed his first Premier League goal on Sunday.
Sean Dyche revealed he uses the popular view that Burnley are doomed to relegation as a way of inspiring his players.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has revealed he dropped Steven Fletcher a few weeks ago to fire him up - a strategy that paid off on Saturday.
Brendan Rodgers is adamant that Raheem Sterling will stay at the club for the long term, despite reported interest from some of Europe's top clubs.
Paris Saint-Germain could be set to swoop if Liverpool drag out Raheem Sterling's contract talks any longer. The Ligue 1 champions could triple the youngster's current salary.
Scott Brown warned his Celtic team-mates to stop hiding after Sunday's home defeat to Hamilton.
BBC
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is "adamant" that forward Raheem Sterling, 19, will stay at the club despite reported interest from Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain. (Daily Mail)
Sterling is set to sign a contract extension with the Reds which will see him earn around £100,000-a-week. (Daily Mirror)
Real Madrid's 27-year-old midfielder Sami Khedira, whose contract with the Spanish club runs out next summer, is keen to complete a move to Arsenal in January. (Daily Star)
Manchester City will consider the future of midfielder Yaya Toure in the January transfer window after his poor start to the season, with Paris St-Germain likely to offer the 31-year-old Ivory Coast international one last bumper pay day. (Daily Mail)
Former England midfielder Frank Lampard, 36, has hinted he could extend his loan at Manchester City from New York City FC beyond his current deal, which ends on 1 January. (Manchester Evening News)
Manchester United will offer injured midfielder Michael Carrick, 33, a new contract, keeping him at the Old Trafford club until 2016. (Daily Express)
Liverpool may move for Roma striker Keita Balde Diao, 19, after he indicated he is ready to quit the Serie A club. (Daily Mirror)
Tottenham are lining up a bid for £4m Anderlecht winger Andy Najar after the 21-year-old impressed for Honduras in the World Cup in Brazil. (Daily Star)
OTHER GOSSIP
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has revealed he dropped striker Steven Fletcher, 27, a few weeks ago to fire him up. The Scot scored his first goals in 10 months as the Wearsiders beat Stoke to win their first league game of the season on Saturday. (Guardian)
England legend Alan Shearer says that midfielder Adam Lallana, 26, has proved he is good enough for Liverpool and he must prove he is good enough for England, too. (Sun - subscription only)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has warned £16m summer signing Mario Balotelli to forget his ego or the striker's short career at Liverpool will be over. (Daily Mirror)
Chelsea have defended their medical team after claims that they did not carry out sufficient checks in allowing Thibaut Courtois, 22, to play on for 13 minutes against Arsenal before the goalkeeper was sent to hospital following a head injury. (Daily Telegraph)
New Manchester United signing Angel Di Maria, 26, says that leaving Real Madrid for Old Trafford this summer has been a boost to his career. (Goal.com)
Manchester United were stupid for ever appointing David Moyes as manager, says Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff. (Daily Telegraph)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, 19, thanked goalkeeper David De Gea on Twitter after his goalkeeper bailed him out with a penalty save after the defender fouled Everton's Tony Hibbert in the box during United's 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.
AND FINALLY
Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba says that he has seen the footage of his collapse at White Hart Lane only once, declaring: "For now once is enough." He suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match between the Trotters and Tottenham two years ago . (Birmingham Mail)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Nick Miller
Few things in football are more tedious than the Bandwagon. In the beginning, there’s the Opinion, perhaps a widely-held view that Alan and Mark and Gary espouse on the Saturday evening sofa and they all nod sagely so they can fill the time before the next round of light banter. Then there’s the Backlash, in which the Opinion and those so very naïve enough to think it in the first place are taken apart, often with some aggression. The Backlash can then spawn the Backlash to the Backlash, but it could also become the Bandwagon, in which the Backlash turns full circle and becomes the Opinion. There’s all sorts of earnest discussion, shouting and slanging matches, everyone forgets what we were arguing about in the first place and we all go to bed at night dreaming of the merciful release of the infinite.
One of the current Bandwagons has it that Yaya Touré is actually not much good anymore and Manchester City are best shot of him. This, apparently, if you believe the word around the campfire, is a view held in the hallowed halls of the Etihad, for they are considering putting Yaya in a box and leaving him underneath a pool table in a pub somewhere – and by ‘pub somewhere’ we mean ‘outside the Parc de Princes and hope Paris Saint-Germain give them a thick wedge of cash for their now-unwanted midfielder.’ To replace him, they will turn to either Paul Pogba or Cheick Tioté, which is a little like considering replacing a rib-eye steak with either a juicy piece of filet or a cheese toastie, but apparently Arsenal are keen on the not-as-good-as-he-used-to-be Newcastle midfielder as well.
Speaking of Arsenal, it seems that their desire for a midfielder with a little more presence than a rice cake might be sated soon enough, with whispers that Sami Khedira could have already agreed to join their gang come January. His contract runs out next summer, but Germany’s finest musketeer lookalike has seemingly grown impatient with Real Madrid insisting on playing those players they spend oodles of cash on instead of him, even though he was part of that expensive group only a few years ago. They’re also seemingly well up for reviving a move for Schalke forward Julian Draxler, while on the other end of the ‘Well, they definitely need that sort of player’ scale, the Gunners are also reportedly keen on Juventus munchkin Sebastian Giovinco.
The Raheem Sterling saga might not actually be a saga yet, and Liverpool definitely seem keen on it staying that way, looking to draw up a new contract for their man lest someone nick him. In this scenario they are Dolly Parton, they’re begging PSG/Jolene not to take their man, just because they can, and it seems a fresh contract worth a very nice indeed £100,000-a-week might persuade Raheem to eschew the flowing locks of auburn hair/tripled wages on offer in Paris and stick around on Merseyside.
While Liverpool’s keen desire to keep hold of Sterling and thus give him a new contract is a pressing concern, one wouldn’t think there’s quite as much urgency at Manchester United to tie Michael Carrick down to fresh terms, but they’re going to do it anyway. Carrick’s current deal runs out at the end of the season, and Louis van Gaal apparently reckons he’ll have a big role in helping out some of United’s young players, even if he doesn’t really have a big role in playing football for them, since Daley Blind has rather emphatically usurped the currently-injured Geordie. United are also sniffing around Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado with the enthusiasm of an airport dog as a man wearing hessian strides and sandals tries to look all innocent as he nonchalantly tries to wander through customs.
There could be a stramash in Manchester, with men from City and United set to meet at dawn on Deansgate to wrestle for the honour of a good man, in this case Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba. The Catalans want a more disciplined man on the port side of their defence it seems, which sounds rather unlike them, but who is the Rumour Mill to cast doubt on the elevated discussions of the mighty/the gossip pages? Nobody, that’s who.
The headline ‘Liverpool keen on Diao move’ might cause reds everywhere to scratch their heads and think they’ve been transported back to the heady summer of love, 2002, but it ain’t the lad Salif that they’re keen on this time, but rather Keita Baldé Diao, a striker who started life in Barcelona’s youth team before doing one to Lazio, where he’s having all manner of fun. The 19-year-old will cost them circa £15m, it seems.
Finally, as all the best bands know it’s advisable to close on a big one, a killer, something to send everyone away and home happy. So know this: Tottenham are lining up a £4m bid for Anderlecht’s Honduras winger Andy Najar. Oh yes. Goodnight Cleveland.
Mail
West Ham 2-0 QPR: Diafra Sakho scores fifth in five starts to clinch Hammers win after controversial own goal from Nedum Onuoha
Sam Allardyce's West Ham accounted for Harry Redknapp's QPR 2-0 at Upton Park on Sunday afternoon
West Ham took the lead after four minutes with a controversially-awarded own goal from Nedum Onuoha
QPR players claimed Enner Valencia handled the ball as Stewart Downing's quality cross was whipped in
Diafra Sakho scored his fifth goal in five starts at the far post to make it 2-0 after James Tomkins' shot was deflected
Enner Valencia thought he'd made it 3-0 when Rob Green gifted him a pass but the striker hadn't retired 10 yards
Rob Green, Rio Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora all endured an unhappy return to their former club
QPR slumped to the bottom of the Premier League table on goal difference after conceding 15 in seven matches
By Martha Kelner for the Daily Mail
Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp have been in the game long enough to witness shock results. They have seen games and moments of brilliance that endure. This match had none.
West Ham can be pleased with a scrappy yet solid victory and their first clean sheet of the season, taking them to seventh in the table. QPR sank to the bottom, with the worst defensive record in the top flight. They have conceded 15 goals in seven games and demonstrated precious little talent in attack.
For Rob Green, Rio Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora, who all had long spells at Upton Park, it was an unhappy return to their old stamping ground. But no former Hammer was more dissatisfied by QPR’s fifth consecutive away defeat than their manager.
West Ham's Diafra Sakho (left) and Stewart Downing (centre) celebrate Sakho scoring the second goal in their win over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday
Sakho (left) gives the thumbs up to the bench after he found the net for the fifth time in five starts for the Hammers
Harry Redknapp, who spent seven years at West Ham from 1994, lamented the lack of fitness among his team, singling out £10million new boy Sandro, whom he hauled off after an unremarkable 67 minutes.
‘I put a lot of faith in him when I brought him in,’ Redknapp said of the Brazilian midfielder secured from Tottenham. ‘He’s had an injury and we need to get him fit. The doctor told me at half-time that he could only play another five minutes. A few of the players are still not up to speed and peak fitness. People like Jordon Mutch, who I brought in, have not managed to put two games together. It’s a problem for us.’
Asked about Gary Neville’s Sky TV assessment of QPR’s performance as ‘diabolical,’ Redknapp replied: ‘We weren’t great, that’s for sure. It’s his opinion isn’t it? I have seen some diabolical performances of late as well but we won’t go into that one.’
Allardyce’s new signings, meanwhile, have bedded in seemingly without problem. Diafro Sakho, who arrived for £4.5m from French side Metz, got his fifth goal in as many starts. Sakho, who revealed he is driven by the need to provide for his poverty-stricken family in Senegal, showed plenty of desire, patiently waiting to head home a James Tomkins cross.
‘I expected him to spend maybe 10 or 15 games for us finding out about the Premier League,’ said Allardyce, ‘But he is so desperate to do well and his runs are so good. He seems to have the knack of turning up in the right place at the right time. That’s fantastic for him and absolutely outstanding for us. That goes for all the signings.
‘We didn’t really make any defensive errors today. I thought the focus and the concentration was very good.’
QPR's Nedum Onuoha (5) scores an own goal in the fifth minute after a dangerous cross from Stewart Downing to give West Ham the lead at Upton Park
Enner Valencia's raised hands (centre) in the lead-up to the opening goal led to appeals from QPR players for handball
Hammers players celebrate as they take the lead over QPR in the opening stages after the own goal from Onuha
Stewart Downing (left) and Enner Valencia (ight) celebrate the opening goal of the match on their way to a valuable win
QPR's Sandro makes a sliding tackle on West Ham's Mauro Zarate in their Premier League showdown on Sunday
Sakho, who had been rejected by QPR, revealed that it was only the intervention of West Ham’s co-chairman David Sullivan that secured his move to Upton Park. He said: ‘I have always wanted to play in England and when West Ham came in for me in the summer, I thought that was it. But then the deal began to fall through as I think the coach was having doubts and I was resigned to returning to France.
‘Fortunately for me, Mr Sullivan stepped in and said he would be signing me and on a permanent deal. It was the chance I needed. I had heard QPR didn’t want me so I wanted to prove I could do it. West Ham gave me the chance and now Mr Allardyce believes in me too.’
West Ham took the lead after five minutes. The resurgent Stewart Downing, Allardyce’s man of the match, whipped the ball over the heads of several white shirts and the flailing arms of Enner Valencia towards the far post. QPR’s Nedum Onuoha, making his first start of the season, angled the ball into the net with his thigh. Green looked dumbstruck, first gesturing for handball then reprimanding his struggling defenders. West Ham missed a plum opportunity to double their lead moments later when Sakho accelerated past Ferdinand and pulled the ball back across the box only for Valencia to poke the ball wide of the post.
QPR, who haven’t won at Upton Park for 21 years, had only one significant chance in the first half when Charlie Austin made a zipping run into the box, slotting the ball through Tomkins’ legs. Austin ignored the shouts of Niko Kranjcar to pull the ball back, instead blasting it at Adrian, who saved comfortably enough.
QPR were briefly enlivened by the introduction of Zamora at half-time. Within minutes, the 33-year-old, who grew up just a few stops on the Tube from Upton Park, set up Austin with a decent chance and won a free kick.
But West Ham extended their lead after 59 minutes. Mauro Zarate’s volley was blocked and Tomkins collected on the bounce and lobbed over several defenders for Sakho to head home.
There was more drama moments later when Green took a free-kick in the box which was intercepted by Valencia, hovering seven yards away. The Ecuador international buried the ball in the net but the goal was disallowed by referee Anthony Taylor.
QPR keeper Rob Green (right) is left high and dry when a James Tomkins shot loops to the far post and is headed home by Sakho
Valencia (left) puts his shot into the back of the net but was too close to keeper Green (right) when the free-kick was taken
Sakho (left) and Valencia (centre) argue with referee Anthony Taylor after West Ham had a goal rightly disallowed
Valencia (front) backs into a robust challenge from QPR's Sandro
DISTANCE COVERED STATS
MINS PLD KM MILES
West Ham United 109.4 68.0
Morgan Amalfitano 90 11.6 7.2
Diafra Sakho 90 10.9 6.8
Stewart Downing 90 10.9 6.7
Queens Park Rangers 107.0 66.5
Karl Henry 90 11.9 7.4
Leroy Fer 90 10.7 6.7
Nedum Onuoha 90 10.0 6.2
MATCH FACTS
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Adrian 7; Jenkinson 6, Tomkins 7.5, Reid 6, Cresswell 6; Song 6, Zarate 6.5; Amalfitano 6, Downing 7.5, Sakho 6.5; Valencia 6
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Nolan, Jarvis, Poyet, Cole, Burke, Lee
Sam Allardyce: 7
QPR (4-2-3-1): Green 5.5; Onuoha 5, Ferdinand 5, Caulker 5, Traore 6; Sandro 5, Henry 5.5; Hoilett 5 (Zamora 45), Fer 5, Kranjcar 5.5; Austin 6
Subs: McCarthy, Isla, Mutch, Dunne, Vargas, Zamora, Taarabt
Harry Redknapp: 5
Mail
Diafra Sakho reveals debt to David Sullivan after scoring for West Ham against QPR... the club that turned down signing him
QPR's scouts said West Ham striker Diafra Sakho was not good enough
The Hammers also initially decided against signing the forward
But co-chairman David Sullivan insisted the deal went through
The 24-year-old frontman has thanked Sullivan for backing him
The Senegal striker scored in West Ham's 2-0 win against QPR on Sunday
Sakho has five goals in five starts since joining from Metz for £4.5million
By Simon Jones for MailOnline
Diafra Sakho has revealed his debt to West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan.
The 24-year-old has proved an instant hit in the Premier League after joining from Metz for £4.5million in the summer and improved his reputation further on Sunday when he scored in the 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers to make it five goals in five starts.
However, his dream move to England nearly didn't happen after initial rejection by QPR and then West Ham pulling out of a loan deal as Sam Allardyce wrestled to find the right striker.
Yet co-chairman Sullivan took decisive action after being convinced Sakho was worth the gamble and it is beginning to pay off.
'I have always wanted to play in England and when West Ham came in for me in the summer, I thought that was it,' said Sakho. 'But then the deal began to fall through as I think the coach was having doubts and I was resigned to returning to France.
'Fortunately for me, Mr Sullivan stepped in and said he would be signing me and on a permanent deal. It was the chance I needed.'
QPR's scouts in France had said Sakho wasn't good enough but that only made him more determined.
'I had heard QPR didn't want me so I wanted to prove I could do it. West Ham gave me the chance and now the coach Mr Allardyce believes in me too. I'm enjoying it and scoring goals against Liverpool and Manchester United shows I can play at this level. I'm just glad Mr Sullivan put his trust in me.'
Guardian
West Ham brush aside QPR to ensure dismal return for Harry Redknapp
John Ashdown at Upton Park
Harry Redknapp’s autumnal trip down memory lane has proved a dead-end street for his Queens Park Rangers side. With defeats already suffered at his old haunts of Southampton and Tottenham, West Ham United completed the hat-trick thanks to Nedum Onuoha’s early own-goal and Diafra Sakho’s second-half header. “It wasn’t great,” said Redknapp afterwards. That was an understatement.
Gary Neville’s post-match view – “diabolical” – was a touch closer to the truth. The result leaves QPR bottom of the pile but the manner of the result will sting as much as the consequences.
Toothlessness in attack and flakiness at the back is a toxic combination and both were in evidence here – only Everton have conceded more, only Burnley have scored fewer. Not that West Ham will mind. Sam Allardyce’s side claimed their second home win in succession with some ease despite a stop-start performance that failed to maintain its early sparkle.
“We’re short of goals and we’re short of goalscorers,” said Redknapp. “We lost Loïc Rémy right on the deadline and couldn’t get a replacement. It has not been easy. We’ve had a tough start but there’s an awful long way to go.”
A lack of goals, though, is not a new problem for this Rangers side – the list of teams who outscored them in the Championship last season includes Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Bournemouth – and they fashioned only two chances of note here.
They both fell to Charlie Austin who created the first himself midway through the opening half after flummoxing James Tomkins on the edge of the box but planted his shot too close to Adrián. The second came courtesy of an immediate impact from Bobby Zamora following his half-time introduction from the bench but Austin poked the substitute’s cross narrowly wide.
“If you can’t create a goal threat then the rest of the team comes under too much pressure and ultimately cracks,” said Allardyce, whose side are up to seventh. “We’ve suffered that ourselves in the past. When you’ve got a real goalscorer in your team it makes so much difference. Look at the difference that Diego Costa has made to Chelsea.”
Allardyce ensured that his side carried plenty of threat by picking an attacking XI with a front three of Mauro Zarate, Enner Valencia and Sakho, while Redknapp aimed for solidity by naming Karl Henry alongside Sandro in midfield.
The way in which the home team took the lead in the fifth minute, though, owed nothing to tactical tinkering. The excellent Stewart Downing swung in a corner and Onuoha inadvertently bundled into his own net from close range.
After an opening spell full of verve and swagger from the home side, during which Valencia should probably have put them two up but turned wide Sakho’s cross, Rangers improved and Austin’s two missed opportunities followed.
The home side’s strut had been sucked from them, and an equaliser was looking the more likely next goal when West Ham doubled their advantage. The irrepressible Zarate let fly from distance. The ball, initially blocked, spun out to Tomkins and the defender’s hook across goal was nodded in from little more than a yard by Sakho.
Valencia thought he had made it 3-0 but saw his effort ruled out after intercepting Robert Green’s free-kick inside the penalty area (“I will check the rules,” promised Allardyce ominously) and Rangers huffed and puffed thereafter to little effect. Adrián was forced to tip wide a Nico Kranjcar free-kick and Adel Taarabt fizzed a long-range effort wide but the Hammers were comfortable. QPR seem in for a season that is anything but.
Man of the match Stewart Downing (West Ham)
Telegraph
West Ham United 2 Queens Park Rangers 0: Diafra Sakho leaves abject QPR rooted to bottom spot
West Ham United v QPR, Premier League match report - Nedum Onuoha own-goal and Diafra Sakho header see Harry Redknapp's men stuck at the foot of the table
By Ian Winrow
While Sam Allardyce was able to reflect on the immediate impact made by his summer signings – in particular Diafra Sakho who scored his fifth goal in as many games – Harry Redknapp was forced to concede his Queens Park Rangers squad is already stretched to the limit, lacking in fitness, and facing a daunting task in their efforts to move away from the foot of the Premier League table.
Sakho’s 59th-minute goal secured a deserved victory after Nedum Onuoha’s fifth-minute own-goal had handed the home side the advantage, summing up QPR’s desperate plight in the process. Lacking a cutting edge and, more alarmingly, apparently short on the determination and resolve to haul themselves back into the game, Redknapp’s side were well beaten, prompting Gary Neville, the England coach operating in his role as pundit on Sky television, to describe the display as “diabolical”.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City figure in QPR’s next four fixtures, suggesting things could get a lot worse before they get better for Redknapp’s side. The manager’s assessment of his squad’s flaws suggests there is no quick fix available.
“When you haven’t got a lot of belief and you have not been scoring, and shipping goals, it is very difficult,” Redknapp said. “The last thing you want to do is concede a sloppy goal like that. It is difficult, it is not easy. We are still a bit off the pace with a few of the players. They are still up to speed and up to fitness. A lot of them haven’t trained. People like Jordan Mutch, Sandro who I brought in, have not at the moment managed to put two games together. It has been a problem for us.
“We are short, we are short of goals, we are short up front of goalscorers. It has been difficult, we lost Loïc Rémy right on the deadline and we couldn’t get a replacement. It has not been easy. It has been a tough start. but there is an awful long way to go.”
Informed of Neville’s assessment, Redknapp said: “It wasn’t great, that is for sure. It’s his opinion isn’t it? I have seen some diabolical performances of late as well but we won’t go into that one.”
Allardyce had sympathy for his opposite number. “The thing is how much of a goal-threat do you have and what can you do to build a goal-threat,” the West Ham manager said. “If you struggle to do that then the rest of the team comes under that utmost pressure and eventually cracks.”
West Ham, who moved seventh after this win, appeared to have found the goal-threat they lacked last year with Sakho’s achievements catching the eye and, by his own admission, surprising Allardyce. Signed for £4.5 million from Metz, the Senegal forward has formed an exciting partnership with Enner Valencia, with fellow new signings Mauro Zarate, Morgan Amaltifano and Alex Song offering more options in midfield.
“I would have seen Sakho as being a player, coming from the French second division, playing maybe 10-15 games for us and findng out about the Premier League,” Allardyce said. “But he is so desperate to do well and his runs are so good at the opposition's defences and he seems to have the knack – and that’s the hardest knack of all – of turning up in the right place at the right time. So that’s fantastic for him and absolutely outstanding business for us at West Ham. And that goes for all the signings. We hope they continue to get better and results get better for us.”
West Ham forced the lead less than five minutes into the game when Stewart Downing swung in a corner from the right. The Rangers defence failed to prevent the cross dropping inside the six-yard area where Onuoha stuck out a leg and diverted the ball into his own goal.
The tone of the game had been set but West Ham failed to capitalise before the break with Valencia coming close on two occasions without managing to test Rangers keeper Rob Green. Allardyce’s side finally claimed the second goal that ensured they avoided an anxious end to the game when Sakho headed in from close range in the 59th minute after QPR had failed to deal with Aaron Cresswell’s free-kick properly, allowing James Tomkins to hook the ball across the box towards the Senegal forward.
HITC
David Gold comments on West Ham United duo’s future
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold gives update on the contract situation of Winston Reid and Alex Song, while commenting on Andy Carroll’s injury.
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has said that Winston Reid is likely to sign a new contract.
The New Zealand international defender’s current deal with the Hammers runs out in June 2015.
The centre-back has been on the books of West Ham since 2010 and is an important player in manager Sam Allardyce’s team.
There have been reports that the 25-year-old former Midtjylland star could be prised away by a bigger Premier League club, but Gold is confident that Reid will remain a West Ham player beyond the end of the season.
“@drewswhu: @davidgold what's the chances of Reid signing a new contract? Every chance. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) October 5, 2014
Another West Ham player who is scheduled to leave the Boleyn Ground at the end of the 2014-15 campaign is Alex Song.
The Cameroon international midfielder joined the London club from Spanish giants Barcelona on a season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day.
Song, a former Arsenal player, has settled in perfectly in the Premier League, and Gold is impressed.
“@Threeirons: @davidgold pls sign Mr Song on a permanent deal David - love his attitude and respect he's shown our club. Yes I agree. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) October 5, 2014
Gold also gave an update on injured striker Andy Carroll, claiming that the England international will be back in action in November.
“@mywhu0511: Dear Chairman! I am Korean West Ham fan. How is Andy Carroll? Is he recovery well? Yes, he could be available in November. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) October 5, 2014
Following West Ham’s 2-0 home win against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, they are now seventh in the Premier League table with 10 points from seven matches.
OS
Jenko back in the swing of things
Carl Jenkinson enjoyed a belated full debut on Sunday and is now planning to kick on for the Hammers
Carl Jenkinson has promised Hammers fans that they have seen nothing yet, as the Arsenal loanee celebrated three points and a clean sheet in his full West Ham United debut against Queens Park Rangers.
Sunday's first start in Claret and Blue had been some time coming for the 22-year-old, after a pre-season hamstring injury consigned the England U21 international to the sidelines for six weeks.
But following encouraging cameos at both Hull City and Manchester United in recent weeks, Jenkinson was delighted to stay the course against Rangers and expects to be in full flight down the right wing before long.
"Sunday was a strange one for me, being my first 90 minutes," he explained. "There was a lot of space in front of me, but I just didn't have it in my legs to bomb on as much as I'd have liked. But that's normal, I've not played 90 minutes for a couple of months now, so it will improve on that front.
"I'm very glad we kept our first clean sheet of the season and I got forward when I could, but the fans will see a lot more of me going forward in the future."
While the injury was a bitter blow to the Harlow-born full-back, Jenkinson insists that it was at least well timed, with pre-season and the first of two international breaks partially coming to his aid.
He continued: "It's been a little bit frustrating, to be honest, coming here and getting an injury, particularly as I've not really had one for a couple of years. But fortunately I didn't miss too many games - it was a six-week injury and yet I only missed three games. That was the upside.
"With the team doing well, it's been a bit of a waiting game for the last couple of games for me to get in. But I've played two 30 minutes and I've taken my opportunities. I got my chance on Sunday, we've come away with a 2-0 win and a clean sheet, so I'm positive with the way things are going at the moment. It's just important that we kick on."
Reflecting on a job well done on Sunday, Jenkinson felt that Nedum Onuoha's early own goal made for an unusual affair, with the Hammers unsure of whether to stick or twist. But far from being preoccupied with style on this occasion, the former Charlton Athletic man was just glad of three hard-earned points.
"It was a difficult one, because when you go 1-0 up [so early], you don't always know whether to push on," he confirmed. "They then started leaving a couple more men up there and you have to manage the game a little bit. So we didn't really get into our rhythm. But I think it was one of those games where the three points were all that mattered.
"We've played games this season that we should have got more out of and didn't get the points, so it was very important that we won on Sunday and pushed ourselves up the table. We've played seven games now, we've got ten points and I think we're seventh, so it's not a bad start to the season by any means."
For all his efforts to claw his way back into West Ham's starting XI, Jenkinson now has international football to focus the mind, having been included in Gareth Southgate's England U21 squad. The Three Lions face a two-legged tie against Croatia to book their spot at next year's UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in the Czech Republic and Jenkinson is ready to do battle.
He concluded: "It'll be nice. I've not had too much game time, what with my injury, so it'll be nice to get back into the swing of things. We've got two incredibly important games if we want to goto the Euros in the summer. That's everyone's aim and we're looking forward to that now."
